Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to remove Russian equipment used in attacks against Ukraine from Belarusian territory within one week.
Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv on Friday, June 19, Zelensky said Russian forces are using signal-boosting stations located in Belarusian border regions to guide attacks against Ukraine.
He stated that if Lukashenko does not wish to become directly involved in the war, he should dismantle or deactivate these facilities.
The Ukrainian president warned that if no action is taken, Ukraine would act on its own, although he did not provide further details.
Zelensky also said that Belarus has become one of the main suppliers of Russia’s military needs, particularly petroleum products, and argued that Lukashenko has the ability to stop this support.
Meanwhile, Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya expressed support for Zelensky’s position, saying that if Lukashenko truly wants peace, he should end Belarus’s support for Russia’s war effort.
Belarus has remained one of Moscow’s closest allies since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and has repeatedly been accused of supporting Russian military operations.